True Appoints Head of Advisory, MENA & APAC
December 20, 2023 – Global talent provider True has announced that Debu Mishra has joined True Search as head of advisory, MENA & APAC, and partner in the CEO/BOD practice, EMEA. “Debu is a student and teacher of leadership who offers clients more than just high caliber executive search,” said Sam McGrath, general manager, EMEA & APAC. “He has crafted a winning formula to help businesses identify their optimal ‘leadership mix’ and then help those leaders grow individually and develop chemistry as teams.” Based in Dubai, Mr. Mishra is responsible for developing and executing leadership advisory and assessment services for clients across the Middle East, North Africa and India. He will work closely with CEOs, boards and other executives to help them build senior leadership teams.
After 30 years in leadership consulting and organizational transformation in India and the U.A.E., Mr. Mishra has experience in C-suite and board leadership advisory and digital transformation. He often speaks at conferences and contributes regularly to publications, including a future of work column in Gulf News.
Prior to True, Mr. Mishra worked as a partner at Deloitte. During his time there, he was an innovation leader and founder of Deloitte Catalyst, India. Prior to this, Mr. Mishra was a senior client partner with Korn Ferry Hay Group and Hewitt (Aon). He was the original architect of the research studies: ‘India’s Best Boards’ and ‘Best Employers Middle East’. Mr. Mishra is also an Arthur Andersen and PwC alumnus. He has experience across MENA and Asia-Pacific regions and now lives in Dubai.
“I love helping leaders think differently,” Mr. Mishra said. “I’m thrilled to be able to help clients convert strategy into performance goals and build high-caliber teams to deliver those results by combining True’s tech-first executive search process, and the millions of data points on the platform.”
Working in both the private and public sectors, True Search has offices throughout the U.S. as well as the EMEA and APAC regions. Since the late 1990s, the firm’s founders have refined their search process with a blend of data-centric insights, relationship-building, and experience to produce a methodology that consistently improves hiring decisions and accelerates growth. The firm’s clients include Jet, Work Front, and Summit Partners. True Search is a subsidiary of True Platform, a global portfolio of human capital services and products for high-growth tech and tech-enabled organizations. True recently placed No. 7 on the Hunt Scanlon Media “Top 50 Recruiters” ranking.
Growing Search Firm
In September, True launched the True Search sustainability practice in EMEA and APAC. Partner Kate Goodall leads the practice advising clients across public and private markets on the development of their respective sustainability strategies and the recruitment of most relevant talent. “Kate is the marquee executive search professional in the sustainability field and has a deep understanding of the space from personal experience managing global investor relations in private equity firms with billions under management,” said Kate Vanek, global COO and CFO at True. “She is, quite simply, the only person we wanted to lead this practice, and we are thrilled to welcome her to True.”
The sustainability practice supports and facilitates every aspect of building a sustainable business. It recruits sustainability generalists experienced in strategic development and implementation and leaders with specialist technical expertise including those at the forefront of value creation. Ms. Goodall, who now holds the title of head of sustainability practice, EMEA and APAC, has a decade of experience in the executive talent space, consulting with clients to assess sustainability goals, regulatory needs, and reputational risks. She most recently served as head of ESG and sustainability for PER, a private markets recruitment specialist, building teams and placing individuals at all levels of seniority within firms across the private capital market at both fund and portfolio company level.
True Acquires Jopwell
Global talent provider True has acquired Jopwell, a hiring platform focused on advancing the careers of black, Latinx and Native American students and early-to-mid-career professionals. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Jopwell perfectly complements the executive-level recruitment focus of True Search and sister organization AboveBoard,” the search firm said. “This holistic offering solidifies True as the leading technology and services firm for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership.”
Earlier this year, True launched a private equity practice and named managing director Matt Goldstein as its leader. “The creation of the PE practice formalizes True’s existing authority in the ecosystem,” the firm said. “Starting from True’s innovative roots in venture capital and technology, the firm has grown with clients across industries and asset classes to close over 1,000 searches for PE funds and their portfolio companies in the past three years.” Mr. Goldstein is a foundational member of True Search with a track record of launching and nurturing new revenue-generating ventures. He has co-led the enterprise practice, built the healthcare practice, and developed connections across PE firms while recruiting partners for investment firms and co-founding True’s financial officers practice. Mr. Goldstein has over 20 years of search, business development, and marketing experience for high-growth technology companies across the U.S. and Europe.
“We’re putting a stake in the ground to announce we deliver products and services catered to the PE market,” said Mr. Goldstein. “We’re here to answer client demand for talent partners that understand the speed, needs, and challenges of this asset class.”
“Matt’s expertise in PE coupled with his CFO Rolodex and business-building track record makes him the natural choice to lead this critical growth area,” said Jon Mackey, co-general manager, Americas. “He’s galvanizing a team our PE clients can rely on to build EBITA-centric leadership teams that can deliver on profitable growth and adapt as macroeconomic conditions change. Matt will organize our private equity effort across all True industry practices including climate tech, fintech and financial services, healthcare and life sciences, enterprise and consumer.”
Related: True Search Expands Leadership Team
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
